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Andscape at the Olympics

Jewell Loyd Olympic diary: ‘This one is going to be special’

Six-time WNBA All-Star star talks about her start in basketball, luring free agents to Seattle, representing Team USA and more


Andscape at the Olympics is an ongoing series exploring the Black athletes and culture around the 2024 Paris Games.


Seattle Storm guard, two-time WNBA champion and six-time WNBA All-Star Jewell Loyd is the latest player sharing insight into her life on and off the court through a video diary with Andscape during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal and former G League Ignite forward Ron Holland participated in a monthly video and diary for the 2023-24 season. NBA players Draymond Green, Vince Carter, Trae Young, CJ McCollum, Fred VanVleet, De’Aaron Fox, Cade Cunningham, James Wiseman and Josh Jackson have participated in previous diaries.

In Part 1 of her video diary, Loyd talks about growing up outside of Chicago in Lincolnwood, Illinois, how at first basketball was her break from playing tennis, the origins of her nickname “Gold Mamba” from the late Kobe Bryant, how his death in 2020 changed her forever, how she’s handled success, her free agency plan and returning to the Storm, and representing Team USA in a true Olympic setting after the COVID-19 restricted Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“It [playing basketball] started with [,…] I just want to be better than my brother, and it turned into, ‘OK, I’ve made some history here. How can I also serve people as well?’ ” Loyd said.

“Your whole life you dream of being an Olympian. For me, when I quit tennis, my two goals were to win a WNBA championship and an Olympic gold medal. I feel like this will be my first real Olympics, to feel the pressure of the fans, to feel the vibe of the city. Now, the basketball gets more exciting. This one is going to be special.”

Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for Andscape. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.